Chief executive officers (CEOs) of Korean businesses are the most handsomely paid in the Asia-Pacific region, a survey shows.

According to a report by Mercer Human Resource Consulting, the average total compensation for CEOs of Korean businesses is US$950,000 (US$1=W931). That combines an average base salary of $384,123 and an average cash compensation of $568,502.

Hong Kong CEOs were the second best paid in the region, with an average income of $600,000. That includes average base salary of $250,707 and average cash compensation of $352,520.

Next on the list were Singaporean CEOs, with an average salary of $239,896. Their average cash bonuses were nearly the same amount, the report says.

Taiwan CEOs get an average base salary of $114,914 and annual cash compensation of $131,834. Meanwhile, CEOs in rapidly growing India ranked in the lower end of the scale, with an average base salary of $89,759 and total cash compensation of $111,510.

In the Philippines, CEOs receive an average base salary of $44,496 and $51,519 in annual cash on average, about half what CEOs in Indonesia are paid. Mercer analyzed data from 2,300 enterprises.